It is said that there are some things best left forgotten. If that is your philosophy, stay away from New Jersey community radio station WFMU-FM’s wonderful Beware-of-the-blog blog. There WFMU listener Bob Purse has posted a slew of Dominos Pizza radio ads from the 1980s in MP3 format.

I thought I had blocked these insipid little spots from my organic hard drive, but no. I remember “The Noid,” or, as Purse correctly puts it, the “wholly annoying ‘The Noid’ campaign.”

Here’s an MP3 of one of the jingles, set to the background of Paul Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice, with cartoonish boing sounds and cackles inserted at appropriate moments:

“The Noid’s a wicked wizard
who makes pizzas old and cold.
He waves his wizard’s wand,
and freezes them, we’re told.

But when it comes to steamy pizza
there’s one that takes the lead.
Dominos pizza delivers!
Hot and fresh guaranteed.

The Noid may boast his wizardry
and wave his wintery wand.
But Dominos has magic too,
and their’s is far beyond . . . “

There are two more stanzas, but you get the idea. Listening to some of the more generic ads, what’s striking is how thoroughly they integrated pseudo Motown, disco, and Broadway sounds (The Wiz, etc) into their presentations.

Mr. Snoid (Kitchen Sink Press)

But getting back to “The Noid,” the best part of Purse’s discovery is that some of the tapes were probably just demos being shopped around by the advertising agency that produced them. I’m wondering now if The Noid was a knock-off of a Robert Crumb character, “Mr. Snoid.” Perhaps we’ll never know.

CMJ's "Saving College Radio" panelists (Photo: J. Waits)

In the past year, a number of high profile college radio stations have been moved off FM. Many claim that we are in the midst of a crisis, in which university officials are contemplating selling or leasing their valuable FM airwaves in exchange for monetary compensation. In order to address this trend, CMJ assembled a panel on October 20, during College Day at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon.

“Saving College Radio” featured representatives from WFMU, WSOU, Kusf-in-Exile, WRVU Friends & Family, and the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) speaking about both the fight for college radio and about ways that stations can protect themselves. Although the audience of college radio DJs expressed little fear about their own stations’ futures (a show of hands indicated that few believed that their stations might be sold), the panelists argued that no one should take their station’s license for granted.

Ken Freedman, Station Manager of WFMU, moderated the discussion and started things off by saying, “We’re living in a completely new era…dozens of stations [are] being sold.” He explained that, “the value of college radio has only recently been discovered” and added that this is coinciding with the fact that many universities are “desperate” for cash. Freedman added that in most cases, stations are being sold to “NPR conglomerates” and that the resulting programming replaces “unique” local stations with a “robot repeater.”

Irwin Swirnoff, a former Music Director at KUSF told the story of how the University of San Francisco radio station was taken off the air on January 18, 2011. He explained that ever since January 18, he has been “fighting to save KUSF.”

Irwin Swirnoff Rallying at City Hall in San Francisco (Photo: J. Waits)

Similarly, Sharon Scott, former General Manager of Vanderbilt University station WRVU, described how she is in the midst of fighting the pending sale of the station. She explained that back in September, 2011, the Vanderbilt community was told that the owners of the WRVU license were considering a sale of the license. By June 6, 2011, a tip from a CMJ writer alerted WRVU staffers that the call letters for the station had been changed and by the next day, students were ushered out of the station. Now WRVU is playing “purely classical music” through a lease agreement with Nashville Public Radio.

In addition to Swirnoff and Scott, the panel also included some college radio folks who are not in the midst of fights over licenses. Omar Ahmad, Station Manager of WSOU, said that his station is “doing really well” and even added that they’ve had “assurances” from their university President about the future of the station. Norm Prusslin of IBS added, “College radio has fought the good fight for 70 years.”

Keep Your Licensee Happy & Make Friends with Station Alumni

Freedman then explained that it’s really important to maintain a strong relationship with one’s home institution, saying, “keep it a happy licensee.” Ahmad said that WSOU tries to do a lot for Seton Hall University. They broadcast many university events, including basketball games and other live remotes on campus. The station even sets up big promotions at these events, handing out stickers and WSOU merchandise so that they can further spread the word. He added, “You just have to make the licensee feel that they’re getting some kind of value.” Prusslin agreed, arguing that it’s important to understand who owns your license and it’s imperative to work at “building relationships at your home campus” and “think of ways to engage your alumni.”

Ahmad also pointed out the importance of forging ties with station alumni. He suggested having alumni return to the airwaves as guest DJs and also recommending reaching out to them in times of trouble. He added, “Don’t ever ignore a request from an alumni.” Later in the discussion he said, “You have no idea how powerful they are” and “they will be there to fight for you.”

Dismantled KUSF Studio

Signs that Your Station Might be in Danger

Freedman said that “every time a station has changed hands…in retrospect…the writing was on the wall.” He pointed out a few warning signs, including inventory requests, stations being moved to new departments, and funding changes. He explained that WFMU was formerly a college radio station owned by Upsala College. Freedman started to get worried about the station’s future after the college kept trying to get them to pay for more and more of their expenses. He also was getting told that the school was getting offers to purchase the license from religious broadcasters. When it seemed that they could lose their license, Freedman worked to form a non-profit so that he could eventually make an offer on the station.

Could a University President Guest DJ Stint Have Helped?

With that in mind, Freedman asked the panel to speculate on what could have been done to prevent KUSF and WRVU from being put on the chopping block. Swirnoff said that at KUSF, they always felt like the “unwanted step child” stashed away “in a basement.” He explained that administrators “never stepped into the station.” He said that in retrospect, it would have been helpful to have engaged more with the university. He said that it would have been great to have the university president do a “guest DJ set every year.” Swirnoff also said that it would have been helpful if KUSF had worked to collect testimonials from alumni, students, and bands over the years. He added, “Radio is so so important and super special” and that stations should “take a lot of pride in that.” He explained that KUSF has been working with some “very supportive faculty,” but that it’s important to forge those relationships before a station is in crisis.

Staying off the University’s Radar May Not be the Best Strategy Anymore

Scott argued that there is a real crisis in college radio and pointed out that WRVU is in the midst of a deal to sell the station for $3.35 million. As she addressed the audience, she said, “you guys are sitting on a lot of money.” As far as the situation at Vanderbilt, she described WRVU as the “freaks fraternity” on a “very conservative” campus. She said that over the years the station wanted to stay off of the school’s “radar.” Yet, in recent years some changes at the station started to occur under the leadership of a new advisor, who Scott characterized as the “grim reaper of college radio.” According to Scott, that advisor brought in “more and more staff,” meaning that students became less involved with certain aspects of station management. News and academic programs at the station were cut, meaning that the “public benefit” of the station was reduced. Scott agreed that, “anything you can do to engage yourself with the university is good.” To that end, WRVU supporters have worked with tenured faculty allies and have also worked to obtain letters and testimonials.

Prusslin said that not only is it important to forge ties with university administrators, but that one’s relationship with student government can also be critical, especially if they are a “direct funder of the radio station.

Play Less Gory Metal

Ahmad explained that although he believes that WSOU is in a good place with its administration, there have been times when the station has been under fire. It’s a heavy metal station at a conservative Catholic university, so there have been mandates from the school regarding musical content. With that in mind, the station now plays “modern active rock” (a more palatable term for metal) and does not play anything that “goes against the church,” “is misogynistic” or “gory.”

Make Students a Priority

KUSF, also at a Catholic university, began as a student-run station. Swirnoff pointed out that over the years more and more community volunteers became involved with the station. He said that it was “beautiful” to see students and non-students working together and added that it spoke to the mission of University of San Francisco. Despite that, the station was taken off the air while students were on winter break. He explained that it was a “secret deal” and was carried out “like a corporate take-over of a non-commercial station.” He said that thinking back on things, there were “internal issues that came back to haunt us” and argued that making students a “priority” might have helped.

Set up a Non-Profit

Some of the practical tips that came out of the panel included Freedman’s suggestion that all college radio stations should set up a non-profit “friends of” organization. He said this should be done with the permission of the college and that the group can be used for alumni outreach. The non-profit can also be a potential buyer of the station’s license if the university ever decides to put the station up for sale.

Learn about the Players: Brokers, Public Radio Capital, etc.

Prusslin also suggested that people involved with college radio learn more out the broader “landscape of non-commercial radio,” including the world of brokers. He recommended doing outreach to music associations and in one’s every day dealings to be “responsible” and “collaborative.”

Scott added that it’s good for stations to get letters from prominent alumni and align with a department on campus. She also encouraged everyone to learn more about Public Radio Capital’s role in station sales and the trend of public radio stations seeking out multiple radio outlets in their communities for talk and classical programming. She also said that in the case of WRVU, “the university really intimidated the students” with threats of “honor code violations.” Scott also argued that “bad surveys” gave the wrong impression of the station, when in fact it was the largest student organization behind the Greek system. She suggested that students at stations add a historian position (as WRVU did) and that they also become more involved with the station’s FCC filings. Supporters of WRVU also established the non-profit WRVU Friends and Family. Scott pointed out that groups like Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts can help stations set up a non-profit.

Occupy the Airwaves and Write the FCC

Swirnoff reiterated that there is a “crisis right now” and an increasing “commercialization of the left side of the dial.” He argued that the “airwaves belong to us” and encouraged everyone to “spread the word” about recent station sales and to “write the FCC” expressing concern. He added, “we have to occupy” the non-commercial airwaves. Freedman added that the situation at KUSF has become an “unprecedented FCC case” and that this is helpful to other stations in danger.

***

Here are are a few more resources for stations looking to ensure their future:

9 Tips to Ensure College Radio’s Survival

Saving College Stations Panel at June 2011 NFCB conference

College Radio DJs from California Convene at KCSB for UCRN Conference

Saving College Radio Panel at SXSW 2011 (Podcast)

The Mediageek’s Advice for College Stations, Part 1-Be True to Your School

The Mediageek’s Advice for College Stations, Part 2- No More Elitism, Recruit, Recruit, Recruit

Previous posts on CMJ 2011 include:

College Radio in the Spotlight

College Radio Still in the Spotlight at CMJ Music Marathon: Music Directors Talk Shop

CMJ College Radio Awards Winners Announced

Radio Guide to CMJ 2011

CMJ Announces Nominees for 2011 College Radio Awards

Nominations Open for 2011 CMJ College Radio Awards

“The best comic book superheroes all have great origin stories,” WFMU’s blog explains. “We are kicking things off with a discussion about Origin Stories with three radio superheroes.”

In mid-September, Radio Survivor’s Jennifer Waits interviewed WFMU manager Ken Friedman about the mission of the festival.

“I think it’s more important than ever to explore how radio is evolving and changing and taking on new forms,” Freedman explained. “The very question of ‘What is Radio?’ is now debatable, which it never was before. It’s exciting to discuss these ideas with radio artists and digital pioneers.”

The fest will take place in New York City at the Metropolitan Pavilion, and will begin on October 28 with a special opening night performance with Radio dramatist Joe Frank. Next day comes the superhero panel and other events, followed by “a hack day for programmers and digital media makers.”

WFMU Record Fair, October 2008 (Photo: J. Waits)

Freeform community radio station WFMU is taking its love for radio to a new level this fall as they launch their first ever Radiovision Festival.

Coinciding with WFMU’s popular Record Fair, the multi-day festival “celebrating radio’s future” will take place in New York City October 28, 29 and 30th, 2011 and will feature performances, presentations, panel discussions, and an interactive radio hack day.

The array of activities will be a field day for radio fans and practitioners of all stripes.  A contest during the festival could even land a lucky participant a shift on WFMU next summer. To get the low down on Radiovision, I talked to WFMU’s General Manager Ken Freedman.

Jennifer Waits: What inspired WFMU to create the Radiovision Festival?

Ken Freedman: I wanted to build on the success of the WFMU Record Fair, but also take it in a new direction. I want to offer something to people who are interested in radio and music, but in a forward-looking fashion. A lot of radio and music draw exclusively from the past. I was also frustrated by a lot of the tech/media conferences I’ve been going to, with their focus on fear and legalities and theory, as opposed to a focus on practice and technique. 

Jennifer: Why do you think it’s important to hold Radio-focused events?

Ken: I think it’s more important than ever to explore how radio is evolving and changing and taking on new forms. The very question of “What is Radio?” is now debatable, which it never was before. It’s exciting to discuss these ideas with radio artists and digital pioneers. 

Jennifer: What sorts of topics will be covered by the panel discussions?

Ken: There will be four panel discussions on Saturday, October 29:

1) Curating – Gathering a group of visionary curators to showcase that curation is not a buzzword or an aggregate dumping ground. 

2) Business Model – What are the business models for artists, musicians and radio stations of the future?

3) Radio Origin Stories – Ira Glass, Tom Scharpling and Marc Maron will share the secrets stories behind their phenomenal success. 

4) The Evolution of Web Communities and Digital Subcultures – This session will explore the core ethics, practices and values of web culture and where they come from, and how they’ve evolved as the internet has become part of daily life. 

Jennifer: Can you explain the Radio Hack day?

Ken: WFMU and the Free Music Archive are inviting hackers, software developers, musicians, digital storytellers and DIY media-makers to devote a day to reinvent radio using images, social media, and open archive materials. How can radio best incorporate other streams of information along with a continual radio stream? We will be asking people to develop designs for combining the idea of radio with text, commentary, video, photos, illustrations, maps and more. 

Jennifer: It seems like the conference not only will celebrate radio and its stars, but will also be exploring the art of radio as well as its future. Can you think of any other events that have taken on the topic of radio in such a way?

Ken: The Third Coast Audio Festival has always done a great job of celebrating and presenting radio from a practitioner’s viewpoint, which is part of what we plan to do. 

Jennifer: Anything else?

Ken: We will also have a contest to develop a one hour weekly program that represents the idea of radio’s future. The winner will get a weekly airslot on WFMU the summer of 2012.

“For years, I thought Johnny was saying ‘Hippy In A Blender’, not ‘blunder’,” the blogger notes. “Either way, it is a true ‘Hippy Hater’ anthem” (more on the tune here).

As for Ed Faucet, he “is now reportedly running a vegan snack shack in Venice, California,” the essay adds.

Related WFMU entries include “Happy Holidays, You Damn Hippies,” and “Keep America Beautiful, Get a Haircut.” The latter mentions Smokey Harless’ timeless song, “A Place for Them Called Hell”:

“They can carry their signs go marching in the streets, all that’s good and well -  But to my way of thinking if they don’t like our country, there’s a place for them called hell.”

Brilliant. WFMU seems to be somewhat obsessed with hippies. They even came up in staff lunch meeting minutes of July 2005:

Here are some of the sub-categories of the hippie subject that were tackled this afternoon:

* The DJs on staff who either shy away from the hippie music, as opposed to those who embrace it warmly and cradle it to their bosom appreciatively.

* Which DJs on staff might have been hippies, who are currently hippies, who are hippies in denial, or who are closeted hippies. (Followed by the suspected reaction that accusing specific staffers of being hippies might earn.)

* The most feverishly devoted kind of hippie, i.e. “Off the Grid Hippies”. The differences between OTG Hippies and “Phishheads”, “Trust Fund Hippies”, and “Ho-Hippies” are briefly argued.

There are, of course, many non-good ol’ boy based reasons  to have mixed feelings about hippies, especially if you have ever been involved with a community radio station or some similar operation.

I have yet to join the Anti-Hippie Action League or start a blog like Antihippy.com, but I do I dislike what I call the Three Hippy Hypocrisies (3H²). These flow from the hippy fiction that structure and leadership are inherently repressive.

Here are my deconstructions of these assertions; to wit:

1. “I oppose any moderation of this forum as censorship.”

Translation: “Let’s let the discussion be moderated by whoever is loudest, rudest, and speaks or posts the most often—such as myself. We’ll just bully or drown out anyone else’s perspective. That’s the kind of moderation I like.”

2. “I’m against delegating responsibilities. Let’s let the energy flow.”

Translation: ”I want an organization in which the main criteria for determining leadership is who happens to be hanging around at the moment—in other words, me again.”

3. “We need to talk about this [endlessly].”

Translation: ”Let’s take forever to make decisions so that the only people who can belong this group are folks with lots of free time (eg, moi).”

But hippies do have their moments, as even the last two items on WFMU’s staff meeting acknowledged:

It is generally agreed upon that the term “Weapons Hippies” can inspire gales of robust laughter when repeated aloud.

* Whose turn it is to make the coffee. The admission that our coffee was grown by the hippies of Vermont. End of meeting.

Scheduled readers include WFMU DJs/fiction writers Kurt Gottschalk, Amanda Nazario, and Bronwyn Carlton. Plus various authors published by the Kaboom! Press and Fractious Press will deliver words, among them Kaboom’s Mike Diana, Carlo Quispe, Caitriona Ni Threasaigh, and Joakim Saflund. Fractious writers include Buzz Poole, poet/tinselartist K. Abigail Walthausen, and poets Steve Hann, Thera Webb, and Nikkiesha N. McLeod.

The reading starts at 5 PM. Were I there, after the event I would saunter over to Fairview Avenue, where I used to rent a five room apartment in the early 1970s for $175 a month. Yes. Weep.

This listener meeting thing is a nice idea. The last one was in Coney Island, another place I haven’t been in a while.

Meanwhile, WBEZ’s This American Life has repodcasted its feature about small crew of prisoners at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center rehearsing for a rendition of Act Five of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. These guys are serving hard time for very hard crimes, and thus Act V, with its grimly humorous clown burial scene, seems appropriate.

Hamlet approaches one of the clown grave diggers:

HAMLET I will speak to this fellow. Whose grave’s this, sirrah?

First Clown
Mine, sir.

Sings
O, a pit of clay for to be made
For such a guest is meet.

HAMLET
I think it be thine, indeed; for thou liest in’t.

First Clown
You lie out on’t, sir, and therefore it is not yours: for my part, I do not lie in’t, and yet it is mine.

HAMLET
‘Thou dost lie in’t, to be in’t and say it is thine:
’tis for the dead, not for the quick; therefore thou liest.

First Clown
‘Tis a quick lie, sir; ’twill away gain, from me to you.

HAMLET
What man dost thou dig it for?

First Clown
For no man, sir.

HAMLET
What woman, then?

First Clown
For none, neither.

HAMLET
Who is to be buried in’t?

First Clown
One that was a woman, sir; but, rest her soul, she’s dead.

Finally, the LA Theater Works has an awesome podcast of Herman Wouk’s novel Caine Mutiny (part one here; part two here). Nice to see this being rolled out again in some broadcast form. When the movie version was released in 1954, the government got its knickers in a twist over the production, even though as historian Stephen Whitfield points out in The Culture of the Cold War, Wouk basically wrote the thing as “a valentine to the navy.”

In the end, Whitfield writes, “The Caine Mutiny implies that losing the ship in a typhoon is better than challenging a skipper whose powers of command have failed.” Great stuff.

The Podcast Prowler keeps up with interesting podcast/radio doings as a matter of policy and pleasure. If you’ve got something you want included in one of The Prowler’s updates, send it over here.

KUSF in Exile (Photo J. Waits)

While those opposing the sale of University of San Francisco’s college radio station KUSF continue to apply pressure to the FCC and the University of San Francisco in hopes of preventing the transfer of the college radio station to Classical Public Radio Network; former KUSF DJs are maintaining their broadcasting chops out of temporary digs at Lightrail Studios in San Francisco’s Bayview district. Assisted by New Jersey community radio station WFMU, “KUSF in Exile” is streaming online using one of WFMU’s streams.

KUSF in Exile has been broadcasting live on the Internet since mid-March and currently has a packed schedule of shows hosted primarily by former KUSF DJs. As with the old KUSF, programming includes a mix of new music shows and cultural shows. Many programs are airing in their former KUSF timeslots, so long-time KUSF listeners can catch their favorite DJs at the times that they remembered hearing them prior to the KUSF shut-down on January 18. For those who have missed a particular show, archives can be found on the Save KUSF website.

In order to raise the visibility of both the fight to Save KUSF and the existence of its temporary KUSF in Exile stream, WFMU DJ Billy Jam is broadcasting his radio show from the KUSF in Exile studios for the next few weeks. Beginning with last Friday’s 3pm-6pm (Eastern time) show (playlist and archive is on the WFMU website), Billy Jam will be hosting KUSF in Exile DJs and guests over the terrestrial airwaves in New Jersey (and over the streams for both WFMU and KUSF in Exile).

I got to be a fly on the wall (and a guest on the air) last Friday as Billy Jam brought listeners up to date on the fight to Save KUSF. After his short set of music and interviews, he passed control to KUSF DJs David Bassin, Irwin, and Dave Ford.

Billy Jam will continue his broadcasts for the next two Fridays (May 13 and May 20) and will host a different line-up of DJs and guests each week.

In other KUSF news, Save KUSF is continuing its fundraising efforts in order to pay off its legal bills. They’ve been present at numerous events in San Francisco and often can be seen co-presenting shows several nights a week.

****

Complete Radio Survivor coverage about the proposed sale of KUSF can be found here. I also wrote about my reaction to the KUSF shut down and to the Save KUSF Multi-Station Live Broadcast on Spinning Indie.  My article chronicling my KUSF field trip 2 years ago is housed there too. For more on the bigger picture of college radio station sell-offs, see my December 2009 piece “Cash-strapped Schools Turn Their Backs on College Radio.” And, for a quick overview of the situation at KUSF, see my article, “The Story Behind the KUSF Shutdown” on PopMatters.

Thunk Tank's "Bieb"

That’s what Jersey City, New Jersey free form community station WFMU-FM’s popular Thunk Tank show plans to do.

“In our quest to boldly violate the false dichotomy between jokes and serious shit, Thunk Tank is issuing Thunk Tank Notes just in time for the WFMU Marathon!” the show’s hosts say on their blog. They’re calling their currency, “the Bieb.”

“Listeners will be able to exchange Federal Reserve notes for Thunk Tank notes 1:1,” Thunk Tank promises. “We intend to make the Bieb the second-most popular currency among WFMU Listeners, and we figure as long as we don’t issue coinage or claim to be legal tender, we probably won’t get indicted.”

That’s a slightly nervous reference to those Liberty Dollars, famously seized by the FBI as illegal money. About 50,000 Liberties bear a likeness to former Presidential candidate Representative Ron Paul (R-TX). Some containing silver, the Justice Department determined that their use was a crime.

Thunk Tank notes that other secondary denominations have survived, however, most notably BerkShares for the Berkshire region of Massachusetts (they’re sort of a way to encourage people to buy local first).

Thunk Tank is definitely in love with gently tweaking authority. In previous posts we’ve explored the show’s fascination with Vladimir Putin.

“We’re obsessed with him now,” TT host Bronwyn confided her colleague to Jay on a recent program. “I do think it’s healthier that you’re obsessed with Putin. Because when you used to be obsessed with Justin Bieber, that made me worry a lot. But this is better. He’s like a more masculine, manly . . . ”

Anyway, the WFMU marathon starts on February 28 and goes through March 13.

Sticker on the wall at WFMU (Photo: J. Waits)

Although the shutdown of beloved college radio station KUSF has been devastating for radio and independent media fans in the San Francisco Bay Area; the outpouring of support for the station has been amazing to watch.

This Friday, February 18th from 12noon to 3pm Pacific time, KUSF DJs will be on the stage at Amoeba Music in San Francisco playing sets of music like they did in the days before their station was shut down on January 18th.

New Jersey-based free form community radio station WFMU is leading the charge on an ambitious multi-radio station live remote broadcast. The live event at Amoeba on Haight Street will be broadcast both online and terrestrially on WFMU (91.1 FM in New Jersey), Stanford University station KZSU (90.1 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area), Loyola Marymount station KXLU (88.9 FM in Los Angeles), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill station WXYC (89.3 FM in Chapel Hill, North Carolina), and Foothill College station KFJC (89.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area). More stations are expected to be announced in the coming days.

KUSF DJs on the bill include Irwin (Sleeves on Hearts), Carolyn, Stereo Steve, Jantine B, Harry D (In the Soul Kitchen), and DJ Schmeejay (Radiodrome).

WFMU DJ Billy Jam, who organized this event (and will MC it along with fellow WFMU DJ Gaylord Fields) is a long-time college and community radio DJ, having spent time on the airwaves of KUSF, KALX, and KPFA prior to his current stint at WFMU. He told me that he’s regularly back in the San Francisco Bay Area doing live remote broadcasts. A few weeks ago he and WFMU General Manager Ken Freedman came up with the idea to “do a third WFMU Bay Area remote broadcast with all KUSF DJs.” After approaching Amoeba music to host the event, Billy Jam proceeded to recruit other radio stations to participate in a multi-station live remote broadcast.

According to Billy Jam, the goal of the event is “To celebrate the greatness that was (and hopefully soon again will be) KUSF on the FM dial where it deserves to be. There are six KUSF DJs going to do half hour sets each… and I have asked them all to include as many KUSF 90.3FM celebrity IDs and ‘drops’ as possible so it sounds like the good ole KUSF pre Jan 18th 2011. But mostly the goal is to further raise awareness and help fight the good fight to SAVE KUSF…”

Billy Jam said that it’s important to spread the word about the situation at KUSF for a few key reasons:

“First KUSF is an integral part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco and the notion that it being only online is the same thing in this digital age is just bull—-. And perhaps more importantly it is part of an ugly trend of US college radio stations getting sold off, and hence is a direct attack on independent media (an endangered species already) everywhere.”

Neal Hartmann Stokes, a DJ at one of the participating stations, WXYC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s college radio station), told me that he heard about the simulcast on Facebook.  He explained,

“I used to live in San Francisco, and I have friends who were DJs at KUSF. I’ve been hearing lots from them about the campaign to save the station and I’ve been eager to help. When I saw that other stations were going to simulcast, I wrote the WXYC listserv asking if it was something we should do as well. The answer was a resounding yes–folks at WXYC were excited at the idea of using our platform to spread the word about KUSF. We were disheartened by the backhanded sale of KUSF’s FM license. This seemed like a constructive way to both show support for another community radio station, while informing our listening community about what’s happening to KUSF.”

Speaking to the broader trend of college radio station shut-downs, Neal added,

“The student or volunteer-run community radio station might seem anachronistic these days, but there’s still a number of thriving stations like ours around the country. Like many such stations, KUSF wasn’t just an underground radio station–it was a valued part of, and reflection of, a diverse and richly nuanced local culture. Communities lose something vital when voices like this are shut out. It’s important for people to realize that this is part of an ongoing trend in media–and we’ll see more stations shuttered if we don’t take a stand and support community media.”

Billy Jam is optimistic that several more radio stations will join up with the expanding list of stations airing the live remote all over the country. Interested stations can email billyjam AT WFMU dot ORG.

UPDATE ON FRIDAY, FEB. 18, 2011 at 10:30AM: The list of stations participating has grown to 12 stations from all over the U.S. In addition to the previously announced WFMU, KXLU, KZSU, WXYC and KFJC; WREK 91.1 FM (Georgia Tech, Atlanta), WITC 88.9 FM (Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY), KDVS 90.3 FM (University of California, Davis), KVRX 91.7 FM (University of Texas, Austin), KALX 90.7 FM (University of California, Berkeley), WCBN 88.3FM (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), and KRFP 92.5FM (Radio Free Moscow, Moscow, Idaho) will also be broadcasting the event.

***

Complete Radio Survivor coverage about the proposed sale of KUSF can be found here. I also wrote about my reaction to the KUSF shut down on Spinning Indie.  My article chronicling my KUSF field trip 2 years ago is housed there too. For more on the bigger picture of college radio station sell-offs, see my December 2009 piece “Cash-strapped Schools Turn Their Backs on College Radio.

Radio Survivor is giving its “most snarky party poster” prize to Maxwell’s of Hoboken, New Jersey and free form radio station WFMU-FM of thereabouts. The poster in question announces a party for one of the winners of WFMU’s recent auction fundraiser. Were I in the Hoboken area, I would definitely attend, if for no other reason than to possibly meet the person grimacing so exquisitely before us.

“The event serves as a launch party for Angel’s new website Joydropper, dedicated to fun happenings in NJ,” WFMU’s blog explains.

I am unclear as to what this prize actually means for the winners, in terms of a, like, prize—other than our best wishes and efforts to spread the good word.